Softwares

For over a year I have been using Microsoft Edge. In my testing it is the most performant browser ranked against many others and with the integration of ChatGPT and many other helpful features I just stuck with the Windows default. A few weeks ago, I started using Firefox off and on, but it just doesn’t feel like the best workspace to be in. I love the Firefox engine, but the user interface just isn’t it for me. Then I stumbled on this video by Theo that introduced me to Zen. ...

This is my first look at the upcoming Linux desktop developed by System76. For many, desktop Linux has felt stagnant over the past year. Major distribution updates have been largely uneventful, and many distros seem to release gimmick features that aren’t particularly useful. However, there’s a fresh wind of excitement in the air with the upcoming alpha release of the Cosmic desktop environment. Here’s a dive into why Cosmic might be the breath of fresh air that desktop Linux needs. ...

It’s been a while since we over-viewed some of my top Linux distributions. Creating top lists for anything is difficult to do, as leaving out bias and opinion is near impossible. An actual top or best Linux distro list would probably have Debian at the top and include OpenSUSE, RHEL, and distributions like that. This list is my favorite Linux distributions I’ve used on physical hardware in the last year and find myself returning to. ...

Near the end of 2020, Red Hat decided to kill CentOS as we know it—kind of. We’ll get that a bit later. But for now, let’s examine Red Hat Enterprise Linux and all of the clones and forks that we have available. So, let’s get to it. Red Hat Enterprise Linux Red Hat Enterprise Linux, or RHEL for short, is a Linux distribution developed by, believe it or not, Red Hat. RHEL is an RPM-based distribution that uses the DNF package manager and follows a more LTS-like release cycle with an older package base. RHEL’s package base actually comes from earlier versions of Fedora, making Fedora a testing ground for different changes that may come to Red Hat. For example, the latest version of RHEL 9.0 is based on Fedora 34 from March 2021. Do note, though, that while Fedora is sponsored by Red Hat and uses some Red Hat infrastructure, Fedora is still its own project that may make decisions against Red Hat. Another thing that makes Red Hat special is that a lot of modern technology in the Linux world is either significantly funded by Red Hat or run or heavily contributed to by Red Hat developers, A bunch of examples of this include GNOME Shell, SELinux, SystemD, PackageKit, Wayland, D-Bus, and many other projects. However, another thing that made Red Hat different is that it’s a paid Linux distro, but paying for it gives you support and docs from the Red Hat company. ...

A few weeks ago, I made a YouTube video on risiOS, and a lot of people were surprised that it was Fedora-based because most distros are based on either Debian, Ubuntu, or Arch. Well, there are quite a few other distributions based on Fedora, so let’s go through some of them, specifically the ones mentioned on Fedora’s list of Fedora remixes wiki page. https://youtu.be/stIndl1YuIg Nobara Nobara is a distribution that is designed specifically for gaming. It is made by a Red Hat Engineer who is also the Proton-GE contributor’s maintainer and a Lutris developer. Booting into it, I noticed that its flagship version has a customized version of GNOME, although there is also a vanilla one. Some of the extensions the non-Vanilla version installs include ArcMenu, Blur my Shell, and Dash to Panel. This gives it an overall setup similar to Windows 7. It also comes preinstalled with many gaming-related tools, including Steam, Lutris, Wine, ProtonUp, and GOverley. ...

One of the biggest difficulties of switching over to Linux is getting used to a completely different ecosystem for applications and trying to switch away from many proprietary applications that are Windows only. Ideally, we should try to convince new users to learn how to use open-source software instead of proprietary software, but there are some cases where that is not an option. https://youtu.be/gpsmHI7oPas Main Solutions The Wine compatibility layer is the solution to getting these Windows applications onto our Linux system, which essentially converts all the Windows libraries and system calls over to open-source alternatives. Steam’s Proton is built on this, allowing many Windows games to have full Steam Deck compatibility. The main problem with Wine is that it can be a huge pain to set up and configure. Several applications aim to solve this problem, but most aren’t great. ...

Many people love Manjaro as a clean and easy way to get into Arch or even Linux in general. But many people claim that Manjaro has diverted too far away from Arch to consider it. So, let’s compare both Arch and Manjaro, how they are different, and why more people might need to distinguish that Manjaro isn’t Arch. https://youtu.be/VzAw8a3Jx-k So first, what is Arch? Arch Linux is an independent rolling release distribution that is known for being very customizable and bleeding edge but not for being easy to install. Your hand isn’t held at all when you install Arch. You are forced to either learn how to install your system manually from scratch, including partitioning through a terminal, installing the actual Linux kernel, and setting up your bootloader and DEs. Basically, the customization isn’t an option. It’s a requirement because you’re building it. ...

Linux is open-source software; however, most Linux distributions usually include some non-free software. Whether it’s proprietary blobs or drivers for running certain types of hardware, or it’s a distribution that ships Google Chrome by default for some reason… While the core of a distribution is usually FOSS software, there are still proprietary elements on most Linux distributions. So, let’s see what running a fully open-source system is like and look at the distributions that the Free Software Foundation recommends. ...

Chrome OS Flex is a way to run Chrome OS on almost any computer you would like, even if it isn’t a Chromebook. What we’ll be going through is the pros and cons, the installation process, and my personal experience with it, as I’ve been playing around with Chrome OS Flex on all the devices I have available to me. If you don’t know Chrome OS, it’s an operating system built around Chrome. The idea is that most people boot into whatever their OS is, and then the only thing they do is open a web browser. So, Google thought, why not get rid of the “bloat” that is an operating system and make Chrome the operating system? This makes the OS very dependent on web apps and things along that nature and makes Chrome OS one of the best choices for people who want to go on Facebook or write a Google Doc occasionally. However, Chrome OS is also bad for many people who depend on their computers for professional work. ...

Today we are going to be taking a look at, Fedora and Arch Linux. Specifically we will look at some of the main differences between them, as Fedora and some Arch-based Linux distribution seems to be where I always end up when trying to pick a distro. Both Arch and Fedora generally are considered cutting edge distributions, so all the packages are up-to date in comparison to something like Debian; however, the way in which they achieve that is different, so on both you will be getting, the latest versions of your preferred desktop environment, the latest kernels, latest versions of your favorite applications, and more. ...